GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — It's usually late November before local fans — even later for students — have a chance to see the Colorado Mesa basketball teams at home, but they'll get an early look this weekend when the women host the D2 Conference Challenge at Brownson Arena.
Many of the names are familiar from last season, but this edition of the Mavericks is showing signs of significant growth.
CMU won all three games of the D2CCA Tip-Off Canadian Classic to open the season, defeating Central Washington 69-54, Simon Fraser 77-60 and Alaska Fairbanks 69-55. Texas A&M International out of the Lone Star Conference also went 3-0.
Only four players had any starting experience at CMU prior to this season: Olivia Reed, Kylie Kravig, Tia Slade and Sophie Hadad. Hadad, a redshirt junior, started two games in each of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, but suffered season-ending injuries in each season. She redshirted last season to regain her strength.
The other three started every game last season and Kravig had one start her freshman year. Slade, however, is out indefinitely with an injury suffered the week before the trip to Canada.
Hadad moved into the starting lineup the opening weekend, with forward Claire Heitschmidt, a 6-1 junior transfer from Central Washington, joining Reed in the frontcourt. Last season's first guard off the bench, Laura Gutierrez, the lone senior on this year's team, is starting on the wing. Gutierrez was a part-time starter at Adams State before transferring to CMU.
FLIPPING THE SCRIPT
After starting 0-5 last season, the Mavericks rattled off three straight victories to open the 2023-24 slate.
Colorado Mesa lost one senior, but two starters, from last season, with a third starter, wing Tia Slade, out indefinitely with an injury. However, with a year's experience and dedication to working on their individual skills in the offseason, the Mavericks are seeing the dividends.
It's a small sample size, but CMU is scoring 71.7 points a game, well above last season's 60.3, and are allowing 56.3, down slightly from 59.6 in '22-23.
Shooting percentages are up from 39% last season to 42.2% after the first week, and the Mavericks held their three opponents in Canada to 38.8% shooting.
WALKING DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Olivia Reed recorded double-doubles in all three games last week, giving her 15 in her career, which stands at 32 games. She's averaging 21.7 points and 14.7 rebounds and scored a career-high 30 points against Alaska Fairbanks.
Reed, a 6-foot sophomore forward from Windsor, led the RMAC in field goal percentage last season (61.6) and is shooting 62.8% so far this season. During the offseason, she concentrated on extending her shooting range, and in Sunday's game against Alaska Fairbanks made the first 3-pointer of her career. She attempted only one shot from beyond the arc last season and is 1 for 3 this season.
DYNAMIC DEBUT
Mason Rowland likely wasn't on scouting reports when the season began. She most certainly is now after bursting onto the college scene with a 22-point debut game. The 5-foot-7 freshman guard from Durango is already CMU's second-leading scorer, averaging 15.3 points a game, shooting 40% from the field and 84.2% from the free-throw line (16 of 19). Coming off the bench and playing both on the wing and at point guard, she's committed only two turnovers in 87 minutes of playing time and has five assists and four steals.
SUPER SUBS
Coach Taylor Wagner went with a short bench, playing only seven players for the majority of the opening weekend despite playing three games in three days, but Mason Rowland and Josee Steadman were outstanding off the bench.
Steadman scored 39 points on the weekend — she scored 45 all of last season — and made 10 of 18 from the 3-point line. Rowland had 46 points, and in all, the Mavs' bench outscored their reserve counterparts 89-30.
ALL-TOURNAMENT NODS
Three Mavericks earned all-tournament accolades in the D2CCA Canadian Tip-Off. Olivia Reed and Mason Rowland made the first team, with Kylie Kravig on the second team.
THE D2 CONFERENCE CHALLENGE
Teams from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and Lone Star Conference have met the past several years for an early season crossover within the South Central Region.
The same four teams met in Rapid City, South Dakota, to open the 2022-23 season, with the two Lone Star teams beating their two RMAC opponents. Colorado Mesa is 1-7 all-time against West Texas A&M and 2-1 against Texas Permian Basin.
THE SCHEDULE
Friday
South Dakota Mines vs. Texas Permian Basin, 2 p.m.
West Texas A&M at Colorado Mesa, 4 p.m.
Saturday
South Dakota Mines vs. West Texas A&M, 4:30 p.m.
Texas Permian Basin at Colorado Mesa, 6:30 p.m.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
West Texas A&M (1-1)
The Buffs were upended in their season opener by Adams State 77-64 before rallying in the second half to upset preseason No. 12 Azusa Pacific 70-63 in the second game of the D2CCA Tipoff Classic in Lubbock, Texas, last weekend.
Junior Karley Motschenbacher's 20-point second half lifted West Texas A&M past the Cougars; the returning first-team Lone Star Conference guard is averaging 14 points and 9 rebounds through the first two games. Junior guard Grace Alvarez averages 13 points and Kyla Kane has hit 5 of 8 shots from beyond the arc so far.
The Buffs are picked to finish fifth in the Lone Star Conference this season.
Texas Permian Basin (0-0)
It's opening weekend for the Falcons, who went 13-15 last season and are projected to finish ninth in the Lone Star Conference again this season.
Alexus Quaadman, a 6-foot-1 post, averaged 10 points and 9.7 rebounds a year ago and blocked 33 shots, and returns for her final year as a graduate student. She holds the UTPB program records for career rebounds (691), blocks (109) and double-doubles (23).
Look for Permian Basin to be tough-minded on defense — the Falcons are among the conference leaders in steals and forced turnovers every season.
South Dakota Mines (0-0)
Friday's game will also be the season opener for the Hardrockers, who went 6-22 last season but return their top three scorers.
Leading the way is guard Piper Bauer, who enters her junior season fourth in school history with 155 made 3-pointers and averaged 14.4 points a game a year ago. Madelyn Heiser (10 points, 4.5 rebounds) and forward Naomi Hidalgo (8.2 points, 4.2 rebounds) also return.
The Hardrockers are picked to finish 14th in the RMAC this season in voting by the conference coaches.
RMAC PRESEASON POLL
Colorado Mesa was voted No. 6 in the RMAC preseason rankings. The Mavericks finished seventh in the standings last season.
THE STAFF
Taylor Wagner is in his 12th season as the Mavericks' head coach, the 11th coach in program history. He took CMU to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first three seasons, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2013, his first year at the helm.
Wagner's 2014 reached the Sweet 16 and the Mavs have played in the NCAA Tournament in six seasons under Wagner and have four RMAC Tournament Championships. He won 100 of his first 118 games at Colorado Mesa and has been the RMAC Coach of the Year five times.
His CMU teams are 246-77 entering this weekend and Wagner has a 187-54 conference record.
Hannah Pollart is in her eighth season as Wagner's assistant, coaching the post players and assisting in all aspects of the program.
Pollart helped lead the Mavericks to the NCAA South Central Region Championship game in 2013-14 after transferring from Cameron University for her senior year. She averaged 7.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and graduated from CMU with a degree in psychology.
